Fantasy Football Addict’s Select XI (GW-2)

It’s that time once again where we look ahead to the weekend and wonder where those fantasy points will spring up. The biggest upset of Gameweek 1 came right at the start where United lost at home to Swansea leaving all sorts of question marks hanging over their season.

The only saving grace was Rooney finding the back of the net, especially considering he’s in practically half of all teams in the FPL game. RVP is nearing full fitness and it’ll be interesting to see how much of an impact he can have on this struggling United side and how he might affect Rooney’s output.

United travel to Sunderland next (Sun 4pm) and all eyes will be on if they can bounce back. There are other great games to look forward to including Everton vs Arsenal (Sat 5.30pm). Everton are always strong at home and Arsenal could be a little tired from their European exertions. The game of the round comes right at the end though, when City host Liverpool at the Etihad on Monday night (8pm).

This is the first of many blockbusters that will take place this season and it’ll be interesting to see how it ends. Liverpool are sure to defend deep and look to counter with the pace of Sturridge and Sterling. However, whether their defence can withstand the City attack is another question.

If you’re new to Fantasy Football Addict, this is our weekly segment where we choose 11 players in a valid formation to enter our Fantasy Football Addict Select XI for the upcoming gameweek. We look into the fixtures and form to see which players are most likely to score high.

So without further ado, here is our selection for the 2nd gameweek of the season:

Goalkeeper

Lukasz FABIANSKI [BUR(H), 5.0m] – After warming the bench at Arsenal last season, Fabianski will be eager to make up for lost time at Swansea. He’s been given his chance and in his first home game he faces Premiership new boys Burnley. Swansea will be looking to follow up the performance at Old Trafford with another victory and Fabianski may just get his first clean sheet of the season.

Defenders

Brede HANGELAND [WHM(H), 5.0m] – Hangeland took little time to settle in at Palace with a goalscoring debut in the opening day defeat against Arsenal. Despite losing Pulis the day before, Palace remained resolute and made Arsenal fight to the end for their win. If they can be as stifling against West Ham, a clean sheet looks likely whilst Hangeland remains a threat at set pieces.

Branislav IVANOVIC [LEI(H), 7.0m] – On multiple occasions against Burnley, Ivanovic popped up on the right wing to support the attack with a number of crosses into the box. One of which was perfectly passed to Fabregas who played a delightful first-time through ball to Schurrle for his goal. Ivanovic also got on the scoresheet after losing his marker quite easily to volley home from a corner. He definitely comes at a premium price but has a strong chance of returning points at both ends of the field.

Nathaniel CLYNE [WBA(H), 5.0m] – Another right back to impress in Gameweek 1 was Clyne who got forward at every available opportunity against Liverpool resulting in a well taken goal. Southampton showed promising periods at Anfield to suggest that there is life after Pochettino and the exodus but they’ll need to follow it up with a strong home performance. They face West Brom next and Koeman will be targeting his first Premier League victory with the Saints.

Midfielders

Cesc FABREGAS [LEI(H), 9.1m] – Fabregas has slipped back into the Premier League like he’s never been away. Starting in the double pivot with Matic, he pushed forward on a regular basis to support the attack, where one of these times he was able to slip Schurrle in with sumptuous through ball. Cesc is also on corners and with the giants Chelsea have, he’s got plenty to aim at. It comes as no surprise that managers are swarming to bring him in and they’ll all be looking for him to continue his fine form against Leicester in Gameweek 2.

Erik LAMELA [QPR(H), 8.0m] – Next up, we’re taking a little gamble on an unknown quantity in Erik Lamela. After a turbulent first year in England, he appears far more settled now with his injury worries behind him and a backroom staff team to support him. He had a number of sparkling performances in pre-season and delivered 2 vital assists in the space of 20 minutes in the Europa League match this week. If he can take this confidence into the game against QPR, Harry’s going to have some problems to deal with on his return to White Hart Lane.

Aiden MCGEADY [ARS(H), 5.5m] – Our 3rd midfielder is a budget option in the form of Aiden McGeady. Having yet to set the Premier League alight, he’s been given the favourable pricetag of 5.5m and could soon shoot up if he continues his form. His curling finish was arguably the pick of the bunch from Gameweek 1 as he beat 3 defenders standing on the line. He also had another 4 shots signalling his attacking intent. McGeady won’t have it all his way on Saturday (5.30pm) but Everton sometimes up their game when faced with the big boys at home.

Gylfi SIGURDSSON [BUR(H), 6.2m] – However, the title of the first bandwagon of the season is reserved for a former FPL favourite in Sigurdsson. Leading Swansea to the win over Man United, Siggy picked up a goal and an assist to rack up 13 points in the first gameweek. Unsurprisingly, every manager around seems to be eager to snap him up and his price has already risen by 0.2m. Next up, he faces Burnley at home and we’re expecting him to build on his impressive start on his return to Swansea where he can expect a hero’s welcome.

Strikers

Diego COSTA (C) [LEI(H), 10.5m] – Costa took no time to register his first Premier League goal, tucking home with aplomb when the ball fell to him. Mourinho has put a lot of his faith in him and Costa will be eager to show that he’s not wrong in doing so. He’s a talented striker and one that is set to pose a whole set of problems for the Leicester backline, which is why he’s our captain this gameweek.

Graziano PELLE [WBA(H), 7.0m] – With our 2nd striker, we’ve taken a little gamble on Southampton’s new striker Pelle. There were glimpses of quality against Liverpool and we’re backing him to improve on this in his first home debut against the Baggies. The atmosphere should be lively as the Saints fans look to the new season and Pelle may be able to feed off that to give them something to smile about.

Sergio AGUERO[LIV(H), 12.0m] – Despite an underwhelming World Cup, it took Aguero mere minutes to remind us how deadly he can be in front of goal when he’s fit and firing. There’s no doubt that if he stays fit this season, City will be fighting for the title come the end. Whilst we’re unsure if he’s fit to start the important game against Liverpool, Aguero’s shown time and time again that he doesn’t need the full 90 to return fantasy points.